And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

ISAIAH 8:22KJV
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Isaiah 8:22 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 8:22 mean?

Isaiah 8:22 describes people looking desperately to the land around them but finding only distress, darkness, and overwhelming anguish, with no escape from their trouble. The verse paints a picture of deep despair and a sense of being trapped in a hopeless situation.

The prophet Isaiah is warning the people of Judah about the consequences of turning away from God and seeking guidance from other sources. In this moment, Isaiah is describing the aftermath of ignoring God’s warnings: the people will search for relief or answers but will only encounter hardship and gloom. This verse closes a section where Isaiah has been urging the people to trust God rather than superstitions or foreign alliances.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 8:22

  • "Trouble" (צָרָה, tsarah) means distress or affliction. The use of this word highlights the intense, personal suffering the people will experience.
  • "Darkness" (אֲפֵלָה, aphelah) and "darkness" again at the end (מַאֲפֵלָה, ma'afelah) both refer to deep gloom, but the second word often carries the sense of a thick, impenetrable darkness. This repetition emphasizes just how total and inescapable the despair will be.
  • "Dimness" (מְעֻפַּת, me'uppat) means gloom or obscurity, suggesting confusion and a lack of hope or direction.
  • "Driven" (נָדַח, nadach) means to be thrust away or pushed out, showing that the people are not just in darkness by accident—they are forced into it, highlighting the severity of their situation.

Why Isaiah 8:22 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that people can always find hope or solutions by their own efforts; Isaiah is saying there are times when ignoring God leads to a dead end.
  • The strong language of darkness and being "driven" into it stresses the seriousness of the warning, making it clear that this is not just ordinary hardship but a profound spiritual and emotional crisis.
  • Isaiah 8:22 connects directly to the next chapter, where hope is introduced after this darkness, showing a sharp contrast between judgment and future restoration.

Where else these words appear

“anguish” Hebrew H6695 · used in 4 verses

  • Proverbs 1:27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
  • Isaiah 30:6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
  • Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

“darkness” Hebrew H2825 · used in 5 verses

  • Genesis 15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
  • Psalms 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
  • Psalms 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

“darkness” Hebrew H653 · used in 10 verses

  • Exodus 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:
  • Proverbs 7:9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
  • Jeremiah 23:12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

“driven” Hebrew H5080 · used in 51 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
  • Nehemiah 1:9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
  • Jeremiah 29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.